John Lennon’s Blistering Letters to Ex-Wife Set for Auction

In November 1976, John Lennon wrote a pair of blistering letters to his ex-wife Cynthia—scolding her for recent media appearances and bickering over the terms of their custody agreement. They had been divorced since 1968 around the time when Lennon became involved with Yoko Ono. Now the letters are set to be sold at an auction this week and may fetch $25,000.

“As you and I well know, our marriage was over long before the advent of L.S.D. or Yoko Ono … and that’s reality!” Lennon wrote. “Your memory is impaired to say the least. Your version of our first L.S.D. trip is rather vague, and you seem to have forgotten subsequent trips altogether!”

Lennon also recalled a time in 1974 when Cynthia allegedly pleaded with him to reconcile.

“You also seem to have forgotten that only two years ago, while I was separated from Yoko, you suddenly brought Julian to see me in Los Angeles after three years of silence. During this visit, you hardly allowed me to be alone with him for one moment. You even asked me to remarry you and/or give you another child, ‘for Julian’s sake!’ I politely told you no, and that, anyway, I was still in love with Yoko (which I thought was very ‘down to earth’).”

Most of all, Lennon seemed miffed at Cynthia’s penchant for giving interviews and seeking attention for her connection to the Beatles.

“I don’t blame you for wanting to get away from your ‘Beatle’ past,” he concluded. “But if you are serious about it, you should try to avoid talking to and posing for magazines and newspapers! We did have some good years, so dwell on them for a change, and, as [Bob] Dylan says, it was ‘A Simple Twist of Fate!’ Love & good luck to the three of you, from the three of us.”